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As some of you might have heard, UVA wrapped up the conference regular season crown by dismantling almighty Cuse 75-56 yesterday. It was Virginia’s first outright title in 33 years.
Tony Bennett is the architect. Hired in 2009 from Washington State, it took three years to get the Cavs back in the tourney. He has steadily built the program on defense. Bennett has long been lauded as one of the top defensive coaches in the country. But what is different this year is the Cavs have opened it up on offense, and are extremely efficient on that end of the floor. They are no longer the ‘slow it down shock clock draining shortening the game first to 50 wins’ Cavaliers. They will play whatever game is necessary to kick your tail.
And kick your tail they will. They’ve won 13 in a row in league play, most by double digits following the narrow loss (their only ACC loss) at Duke on Jan. 13. They are blowing teams away and will certainly be ranked in the top 10 in this week’s poll. If they go on to win the ACC Tournament, they will be in contention for a number one seed heading into the Big Dance. Not half bad for a once dormat program.
Virginia’s rise to dominance (for this season anyways) follows Miami’s rise last year. The Canes, coached by Jim Larranaga from George Mason, won both the ACC regular season title as well as the tournament title, which earned Larranaga ACC coach of year honors.
The Seminoles, coached by Leonard Hamilton, a two-time ACC coach of the year winner, won the ACC tournament the year prior. I know it hasn’t always looked pretty, but Hamilton has been rock solid at FSU, by all means a football school with little if any basketball history. Prior to FSU, he took Miami to three NCAA Tournaments, including a Sweet 16 appearance. And he has taken Florida State to four tournaments and a Sweet 16. Remember, this is Florida State. Not bad. And they could be going back this season with a late season run.
So the question is, taking the rise of these three programs into consideration, are there wider lessons here? What conclusions may we draw? Doesn’t this prove that it is possible to trump “the blues”? I and mean that in two ways. The first meaning our neighbors Duke and UNC. But perhaps more importantly, does this not prove that it is possible to resurrect a program going nowhere, and do it relatively quickly? Can it not actually be done?
I believe that it does. The key is you must find the right guy to lead that resurrection, and you must allow him to work it. It may take some time. It may not. It took Bennett three years. Larranaga no time at all. And FSU has been extremely patient with Hamilton, as it took him seven years to reach his first tournament.
How much time is necessary? What lessons, if any, do you draw?
Nice opening to an important question… Wufpack!
Lesson #1…. Geography matters….
Which is to say simply… the farther you are from the intersection of Hwy 15/501 and I-40… the easier the job of building a championship ACC basketball program will be.
Perception is reality in this case. There is the physical geography as in the actual number of miles from one point to another, and there is the “perceived” geography… the “distance from one place to another” in one’s head. That’s the feeling that you are close to home, when in fact, you are a thousand miles away.
We might all be better off… if we ignored 90% of what emanates from Durham and Orange County. The truth is that’s exactly what ‘everybody else’ has been doing for years.
The potential downside of that shift in thinking, however, might be severe winter boredom.
More to follow….#NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!UVA has had several player to transfer from Bennett’s program. Six guys left who would have been on this year’s team. Who got the better deal in all this attrition? UVA wins the conference, and KT Harrell gets his wish of being the “man” at Auburn.
Either get with the program or leave the program.
I think Gott has this mindset too. I think it’s going to be laid out quite clearly what BJA, Cat, KW, and Tyler need to do to help this program. Is this what they call “growth”? If so, I think our program is slowly but steadily growing.
What lessons, if any, do you draw?
The lesson I’ve drawn is you can win a lot of games without having superstar players if you play fundamentally sound basketball. Virgina is running on 3* and mid level 4* guys, but they play together, and do little things that have a big impact.
Maybe they’ll get knocked out early in the tournament. I dunno. I wouldn’t want to play them.
And maybe Tony Bennet is a fantastic coach, but it’s proof that guys are out there who can win, if you can find them.
Nice opening to an important question… Wufpack!
Lesson #1…. Geography matters….
Which is to say simply… the farther you are from the intersection of Hwy 15/501 and I-40… the easier the job of building a championship ACC basketball program will be.
Norm Sloan, Jim Valvano, and Clemson all prove that this is horribly wrong. If you’re not getting the results you want, then there is no reason to look anywhere other than the head coach’s office.
How long do you give a coach? There is no one answer that fits every situation.
How long do you give a coach?
I believe 10 years is the standard…..
Tony Bennett, Leonard Hamilton and Jim Laranaga are amongst the three best DEFENSIVE coaches in the country. I conclude that if you play good defense consistently then every now and then everyone else will be bad enough for you to hit a little peak while other programs struggle.
…hello 82…
For the record.. neither Sloan nor Valvano “built a program from scratch”… they both took over the very successful program built by Everette Case (although in Sloan’s case… there was the two years when Press Maverich was coach ). Besides all that was a lifetime or two ago… Now Clempson was about FIVE HOURS from the intersection of Hwy 15/501 the last time I made that drive as opposed to twenty-thirty minutes…Did Clempson win an ACC basketball championship… I must have missed that…
#NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!Proximity to the Blues is only a positive, in that the area is electric for basketball. Recruiting is NATIONAL in basketball (as opposed to football), and in any event, it’s exceedingly rare for us to compete head-to-head for a recruit with either of them.
NC State offers everything a coach could ask for, in terms of building a winner/champion.
Back to the topic at hand, I am a little hesitant about building a “defense first” model. Such teams usually flame out come tournament time, when you need to hit a higher offensive gear (Pitt is a good example of this). Our problem is that we don’t play ADEQUATE defense, which is a whole other ball of wax. NOBODY can succeed that way, and it’s really inexcusable.
UVA has indeed opened up its offense a bit more this season, but they will still be the team everybody picks to lose early in their office pool. Because they don’t have star quality offensive performers. They’ll play a hot team, and lose. I learned my lesson when I joined the Toney Douglas-led FSU bandwagon. Lost first round, I believe.
For the record.. neither Sloan nor Valvano “built a program from scratch”
MG didn’t start from scratch either.
Did Clempson win an ACC basketball championship… I must have missed that…
Clemson being far way from the Triangle proves that distance is no advantage.
EDIT
Bottom line – I don’t believe in blaming some one else for “my” problems. It doesn’t wash in politics nor in sports.Tony Bennett, Leonard Hamilton and Jim Laranaga are amongst the three best DEFENSIVE coaches in the country. I conclude that if you play good defense consistently then every now and then everyone else will be bad enough for you to hit a little peak while other programs struggle.
UVA’s offense this season is worlds different that previous years.
They straight up dismantled Syracuse.
“Tony Bennett, Leonard Hamilton and Jim Laranaga are amongst the three best DEFENSIVE coaches in the country. I conclude that if you play good defense consistently then every now and then everyone else will be bad enough for you to hit a little peak while other programs struggle.”
^True – plus Virginia has once again benefited from an unbalanced schedule in a top-heavy league. They beat Pitt on the road, and lost to Duke on the road (probably should have won the Duke game). They played Syracuse and *nx at home. That’s it though as far as tests among the top teams. The rest of the ACC is easily beaten home or away. This is certainly not to discredit Virginia’s accomplishments thus far in the season – just factual.
I’ve been ripped for lauding Bennett when he was first hired, and also ripped for making fun of his style of play – so that’s a microcosm of any fanbase I guess. The bottom line is that you will usually have a chance to win if you play D. HWSNBN usually had solid defensive teams, there was just a lot of other things that weren’t right about his teams. Bennett and Virginia may have hit a sweet spot this season, but it’s early yet. I’m anxious to see what will happen with them should they make the Sweet 16.
HWSNBN usually had solid defensive teams, there was just a lot of other things that weren’t right about his teams.
I thought I remembered Herbs defenses only looked good when you didn’t look at the tempo free stats. In that we ‘held’ teams to below their average in points, but only because our tempo was so low.
I thought I remembered Herbs defenses only looked good when you didn’t look at the tempo free stats. In that we ‘held’ teams to below their average in points, but only because our tempo was so low.
THIS is what drove me so nuts during his tenure! It wasn’t the offense (although I think I am the only one in the room who will say that) but the slow-footed defense they played
^That’s fair, but I recall some good defensive performances – of course, a lot of teams/coaches look decent defensively compared to Lowe teams and the first iterations of Gott’s teams.
I was thrilled to see FSU and Miami have great regular season and ACCT success in lieu of the blues. It thrills me to see UVA on top of the standings over Duke, Syracuse and UNC.
BJD said – “Back to the topic at hand, I am a little hesitant about building a “defense first” model. Such teams usually flame out come tournament time, when you need to hit a higher offensive gear…”
Mike Krzyzewski began his career at Duke by instilling defensive tenacity and solid fundamentals. As the talent level of his recruits/players improved, he adjusted his coaching style and philosophy. That is the key for a coach like Bennett. Lay the foundation and build from there. I don’t see any reason a guy like Bennett can’t do the exact same thing. Personally I would trade Gottfried for Bennett right now. Maybe that’s shortsighted and blasphemous, but it’s how I feel right this minute.
My $0.02 worth.Personally I would trade Gottfried for Bennett right now.
Yea, but would UVA make that trade. I venture to say, no way. Not now.
K is great because he is a tremendous team builder. Even the NBA guys say this about him. He teaches kids and grown men to play as one, to sacrifice for the good of the team. He is a master at team building. Guys want to go all out for him. They know if they don’t, they’ll sit.
I’ve been ripped for lauding Bennett when he was first hired, and also ripped for making fun of his style of play – so that’s a microcosm of any fanbase I guess. The bottom line is that you will usually have a chance to win if you play D. HWSNBN usually had solid defensive teams, there was just a lot of other things that weren’t right about his teams. Bennett and Virginia may have hit a sweet spot this season, but it’s early yet. I’m anxious to see what will happen with them should they make the Sweet 16.
Bennet looked like a Herb junior up until this season. Frankly his “defense” consists of using hand checking and holding to make the offensive player go the way you want them to. I still cannot believe it is allowedm especially with the “new” rules.
However his offense in the past was earily similar to the weave and heave and his overall system is not one that will typicaly attract top talent. Maybe that changes or maybe he has a ceiling. This year was an impressive year for him that is for sure and he looks like a genius hire.Wolfpup76 said “…plus Virginia has once again benefited from an unbalanced schedule in a top-heavy league. They beat Pitt on the road, and lost to Duke on the road (probably should have won the Duke game). They played Syracuse and *nx at home. That’s it though as far as tests among the top teams. The rest of the ACC is easily beaten home or away. This is certainly not to discredit Virginia’s accomplishments thus far in the season – just factual.”
What you say is true, but if UVA really is a mediocre team (read has mediocre talent), then I think that’s a testament to Bennett’s coaching ability. UVA doesn’t have any conference WTF losses. Any coach can get their players up to play home games against top 25 “name” programs like UNC, Syracuse or Duke. A great coach is able to keep his players motivated and hungry for every game. Personally, I think going 16-1 even in a “weak” ACC indicates your team is anything but mediocre. I think UVA is being labeled a paper tiger or an anomaly because they haven’t been in this position for 30 years and they didn’t get a lot of pre-season hype. An early elimination from the tourney (ACC or NCAA) wouldn’t surprise me any more than an early exit for Duke, Syracuse or UNC.
UVA is taking advantage of their opportunities (read “while other programs struggle”). Something we have repeatedly failed to do over the past two+ decades.
Third straight year a non-blue has not won it. And UVA did it in dominating fashion.
It absolutely CAN be done.
Meant to say third year in a row a team not named Duke or UNC has won it. Edit function not working for me for some reason.
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